Colin Kaepernick of the San Francisco 49ers sitting during the National Anthem means he doesn't understand who the Anthem honors

The Kaepernick controversy should be considered hubbub. Any sitting, kneeling, raising of a fist and other methods of so called protest by various semi-celebrities is just another passing fad employed by people seeking their 15 minutes of fame and not knowing what the anthem is all about, These acts are worthy of criticism but not for the reasons usually given. Yes, it is disrespectful to use a national symbol of unity as a vehicle to demonstrate your displeasure with the #Government. Choose your actions wisely and avoid foolishness. If you don’t approve of the government’s response to whatever cause you feel merits your ‘brave’ support, the very last thing you should be doing is showing a lack of respect for the anthem. Why?

The Anthem honors all Americans without regard to color or ethnicity

The blood, sweat and tears of the millions who have given their lives to protect your right to do, say and think freely are not slightly diluted by your uniformed and selfish gestures. They embody the cost of liberty. There are in Arlington Cemetery some 220,000 men and women lying in sacred ground under crosses, white tombstones with crosses or the Star of David and other religious symbols. Every death by these brave people entitles them to be remembered in the Anthem. This is so because it is not a static memorial to brave white men dying during the War of 1812. The Anthem is fluid and honors both past, present and future patriots regardless of race, creed or color who performed services for the betterment of the Nation. With every death the community of patriots who gave their all, from Washington, Jefferson, Franklin and Lincoln has swollen to include people such as Nat Turner, Frederick Douglas, George Washington Carver, Harriet Tubman and Martin Luther King, Jr. In each case they left behind broken a grateful nation to honor and remember them.

Regarding the Reverend King, anyone who has even the slightest understanding of King’s goals for which he gave his life for a much greater cause than random acts of violence done by or to the police. Even a cursory reading of his writings should convince any clear thinker that King would no more sit during the national anthem than he would have spray painted the Washington Monument with happy faces. He longed for the right to sit at the table of governance with an equal say in the nation's councils and his nonviolent tactics coupled with his trust in the tenets of the founding fathers was his path. Many disagreed with his goals but they were hard put to deny that he was reaching them the right way. In that, King was the consummate patriot.

King and millions of heroes of every description helped in a way that the Anthem honors

His way was to confront the power with the truth, something that every patriot must do. What made him immortal and turned the tide was his constant but gentle persuasion through sacrifice. He didn’t stand and point; he didn’t turn his back; he didn’t shake his fist; he marched.

By doing so he became one with Washington, Lincoln and all who rest beneath the land they would and did die for. When I stand, a part of me recognizes the tune being played was composed in part to honor the courage and wisdom of Reverend King and the other patriots I named above. He trusted the founders and gave his life in support of their mutual ideals.

So, don’t shame yourself by grandstanding. Work for what you believe. King and thousands of others showed us how. If you don’t believe that then you might not have noticed that there’s been a black family in residence at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue for over 7 years. #Black Lives Matter#Colin Kaepernick

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